All weather electric indoor/outdoor heat exchanger face mask

Abstract

A face mask apparatus is formed with a breathing chamber that provides adjustable warm and humidified air for inhalation. The breathing chamber heats cold air that is breathed in through the face mask during normal breathing, which is worn over the nose and mouth of a person. A temperature gauge monitors temperature for future adjustment of the amount of heat generating current. The air in the chamber is heated for inhalation by a resistive carbon fiber tape. The temperature of the resistive material (and by extension the warm air generated), is regulated/adjusted by increasing or decreasing the current output settings on the power source. Warm and humidified air is produced. The face mask may be part of a balaclava hood or a hat, or to other head gear, or as a stand alone with straps around the head, optionally with an adjustable solar powered battery.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A face mask for conditioning air to be breathed, comprising:
 a facial covering having an inner surface and an outer surface and configured to be removably positioned over a user's mouth and nose, thereby forming an unrestricted breathing chamber with an unimpeded inner volume in which air to be breathed is conditioned; 
 wherein said unrestricted breathing chamber includes an opening through which the air to be breathed is drawn and air to be exhaled is expelled; 
 an inner frame with an inner and outer surface, wherein the outer surface of the inner frame is attached to the inner surface of the facial covering about the opening; and 
 conditioning means having flexible conductive resistive material arranged in said unrestricted breathing chamber on the inner surface of the inner frame located away from said opening in said unrestricted breathing chamber where the air to be breathed is drawn and air to be exhaled is expelled, to condition air drawn into said unrestricted breathing chamber; 
 whereby inspired unrestricted and unimpeded cold air is heated in said unrestricted breathing chamber and goes directly in the mouth and nose of the user; 
 whereby placement and location of said flexible conductive resistive material is within said unrestricted breathing chamber and is completely out of the way of the inspired cold airflow. 
 
     
     
       2. The face mask of  claim 1 , wherein the flexible conductive resistive material comprises an electric heating element of resistive carbon fiber tape. 
     
     
       3. The face mask of  claim 1 , wherein air to be breathed and/or to be exhaled traverses a path through the unimpeded inner volume between a user's mouth and/or nose, and the opening in said unrestricted breathing chamber, surrounded by the inner surface of the inner frame. 
     
     
       4. The face mask of  claim 1 , wherein the opening in said unrestricted breathing chamber is formed to receive a detachable inlet plate or valve. 
     
     
       5. The face mask of  claim 4 , wherein the air to be breathed is drawn through the inlet plate or valve and air to be exhaled is expelled through the inlet plate or valve. 
     
     
       6. The face mask of  claim 2 , wherein the resistive carbon fiber tape is between about 1/64 inch and about 2 and ½ inch wide. 
     
     
       7. The face mask of  claim 6 , wherein the width of the resistive carbon fiber tape is ⅞ inch. 
     
     
       8. The face or mask of  claim 4 , wherein the inlet plate or valve is detachably connected to the inner frame that is fixed to the inner surface of the facial covering. 
     
     
       9. The face or mask of  claim 8 , wherein the inlet plate or valve is detachably connected to the inner surface of said unrestricted breathing chamber using a snap or bayonet mount. 
     
     
       10. The face or mask of  claim 4 , wherein the inlet plate or valve is formed with one or more openings, in the form of slit patterns, and wherein each of the slit patterns is configured to define different resistance to breathing air through the inlet plate or valve. 
     
     
       11. The face mask of  claim 10 , wherein the different resistances associated with the slit patterns support air resistance training by athletes using the face mask. 
     
     
       12. The face mask of  claim 1 , wherein said unrestricted breathing chamber is formed with at least one weep hole through which moisture generated as condensation when cold air mixes with moist, warm exhalation air can drain. 
     
     
       13. The face mask of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one weep hole is arranged in a bottom of said unrestricted breathing chamber. 
     
     
       14. The face mask of  claim 12 , wherein the inner frame includes at least one weep hole that is aligned with the at least one weep hole within said unrestricted breathing chamber. 
     
     
       15. The face mask of  claim 1 , wherein the facial covering is manufactured from a material selected from the group of materials consisting of paper, cloth, medical grade polyurethane, medical grade neoprene and medical grade silicone. 
     
     
       16. The face mask of  claim 1 , wherein the inner frame is manufactured from a material selected from the group of materials consisting of medical grade polyurethane, medical grade neoprene, medical grade silicone and medical grade metals or plastics materials. 
     
     
       17. The face mask of  claim 2 , wherein the conditioning means includes a source of electrical power for the electric heating element. 
     
     
       18. The face mask of  claim 17 , wherein the source of electrical power is a battery electrically connected to the conditioning means. 
     
     
       19. The face mask of  claim 18 , wherein the battery is either rechargeable or disposable. 
     
     
       20. The face mask of  claim 17 , further comprising a solar-based charging system for supplying electrical power to the face mask, including recharging the battery, or supplying current to the resistive carbon fiber tape. 
     
     
       21. The face mask of  claim 17 , further comprising a filter unit that filters air to be conditioned prior to breathing. 
     
     
       22. A method of conditioning air to be breathed in reliance upon a face mask that comprises a facial covering having an inner surface and an outer surface and configured to be removably positioned over a user's mouth and nose, comprising the steps of forming an unrestricted breathing chamber with an unimpeded inner volume in which air to be breathed is conditioned, said unrestricted breathing chamber including an opening through which the air to be breathed is drawn and air to be exhaled is expelled, providing an inner frame with an inner and outer surface that defines a contour of said unrestricted breathing chamber, attached attaching flexible conductive resistive material of a conditioning means to the inner surface of the facial covering within said unimpeded inner volume about the opening in said unrestricted breathing chamber, locating said conditioning means having flexible conductive resistive material on the inner surface of the inner frame, to condition air drawn into said unrestricted breathing chamber, the method further comprising the steps of:
 attaching the facial covering to a user's face so that it covers the user's mouth and nose to form said unrestricted breathing chamber and said unimpeded inner volume; 
 activating the conditioning means; 
 breathing air from outside the face mask into said unrestricted breathing chamber, to mix the outside air with exhaust air from the user, in said unimpeded inner volume, realizing a mixture of air that is drawn into the user's air passages, which is warmer and moister than the outside air; 
 whereby said air flow is unrestricted and unimpeded and said flexible conductive resistive material of said conditioning means is located away from said opening in said unrestricted breathing chamber where the air to be breathed is drawn and air to be exhaled is expelled, 
 whereby placement and location of the flexible conductive resistive material conditioning means is within said unrestricted chamber having said unimpeded inner volume and is completely out of the way of the inspired cold airflow. 
 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 22 , wherein the flexible conductive resistive material is resistive carbon fiber tape and the face mask includes an on/off button, and wherein upon activating the on/off button to an on state, a predetermined current is provided to the resistive carbon fiber tape in said unrestricted breathing chamber having said unimpeded inner volume. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 23 , wherein the face mask includes a temperature sensor. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 24 , wherein the temperature sensor is positioned in said unrestricted breathing chamber. 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 22 , wherein the flexible conductive resistive material is attached to the inner surface of the inner frame in a pattern selected from a group of patterns consisting of horseshoe, u-shaped or other curvilinear geometric shape. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 26 , wherein said flexible conductive resistive material is resistive carbon fiber tape which is affixed to the inner surface of the inner frame using a fastening material selected from the group consisting of silicone rubber, rubber cement, epoxy and adhesive agents. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 23 , wherein the predetermined current is defined by a battery in series with the resistive carbon fiber tape. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 28 , where the battery is a lithium ion 7.4V battery, a lithium ion 3.7 V battery, a lithium ion 5V battery, or any battery with sufficient current to warm the resistive carbon fiber material. 
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 29 , where the amount of current supplied is user adjustable based on an adjustable resistance device in line with the resistive carbon fiber tape. 
     
     
       31. The method of  claim 29  wherein the predetermined current is automatically determined based on outside temperature. 
     
     
       32. The method of  claim 23  wherein the amount of current supplied is adjustable manually. 
     
     
       33. The method of  claim 23  wherein the amount of current supplied is adjustable remotely by a specially programmed wireless fob device.